Michigan

Hundreds line up for Dalai Lama tickets

ALAN WARREN | THE ANN ARBOR NEWSHundreds of students and University of Michigan staff line up this morning for free tickets to an April 20 lecture by the Dalai Lama at Crisler Arena.

By GEOFF LARCOMThe Ann Arbor News

Dominic Moceri was the first in line when he arrived at about 5:15 this morning in front of the Michigan Union.

By the time the union opened at 7 a.m., the line had grown to about a dozen. It kept growing until it reached more 500 people when the Michigan Union Ticket Office opened at 9 a.m.

They were all there for the long-awaited distribution of tickets for a free lecture by the 14th Dalai Lama, who will be in Ann Arbor for a series of lectures April 19-20.
Moceri, a researcher at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, planned to surprise his wife with two tickets.

"He's such a great leader and so spiritual," Moceri said.

Dalai Lama visit

When: April 19-20.

Where: University of Michigan's Crisler Arena.

Talks: The Dalai Lama will present programs on "Engaging Wisdom and Compassion" on April 19 from 10 a.m. to noon and 2-4 p.m. and on April 20 from 10 a.m. to noon. He will also give a free talk, the Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability, in celebration of Earth Day. That talk is April 20, from 2-4 p.m.

Tickets: Tickets for the talks cost from $10 for a Saturday or Sunday talk to $95 for a two-day ticket. For the Wege lecture, free tickets for staff, faculty and students, at two per each person with a picture U-M ID, are available starting today 3/4 at the Michigan Union Box Office. Remaining tickets will be available to the public Wednesday.

The free tickets are for the Dalai Lama's presentation of the U-M's annual Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability in celebration of Earth Day. The lecture is from 2 to 4 p.m. April 20 in Crisler Arena.

This morning's tickets went to each person with a faculty, staff or student ID with picture, and each receive two free tickets to the lecture. If any are left, free tickets will be available to the public on Wednesday.

The Wege Lecture is part of a weekend of programs by the Dalai Lama. He will present sessions on "Engaging Wisdom and Compassion" on April 19 in Crisler from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. and April 20 from 10 a.m. to noon.

Like Moceri, others in line this morning were excited at the chance to hear the Dalai Lama.

"There aren't many people who would make me do this - no pop singers, no football stars," said Emily Cloyd, a retired U-M English professor who was second in line.

Sitting across from Cloyd in the Michigan Union basement was Maryann Wroubel of Brighton. "It such an honor that he's here and can speak about peace and spirituality," she said.

U-M student Gervis Menzies showed up with a half dozen friends at about 6:50 a.m. "I'm a senior and this is going to be one of my last experiences here," he said.

Menzies brought a laptop to help pass the time. Others brought books and homework. One group even spread a blanket and enjoyed bagels and cream cheese
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Seating for the talks will be around 8,000 in the arena, with seats to the side and in front of the stage, said Heather Gray, manager of the Michigan Union Ticket Office.

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is a Tibetan Buddhist leader who is recognized worldwide for his message of peace and tolerance. He is both the head of state and the spiritual leader of Tibet.

The Wege Lecture is sponsored by the Office of the President and the Center for Sustainable Systems at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. The teaching sessions are co-sponsored by Jewel Heart, a Tibetan Buddhist center with headquarters in Ann Arbor; the Tibet Fund, and the Garrison Institute.

The Dalai Lama last visited Ann Arbor in 1994, when about 9,000 people attended a lecture at Crisler Arena.

"It's an opportunity you can't miss," said Nicole Wojcik, a U-M senior from Grosse Ile who plans to work in the Peace Corps. "Getting up early is not that big a sacrifice."